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Weapons

Bows

The bow types in Bohuslän partly show the simple, universally spread longbows made of wood, and partly the bows that are made of a combination of points, antler and pieces of wood, tied together with animal sinew. Both types of bow are used by cultures located within Northern Asia and America.

Swords

In many cases, human figures on the rocks are dressed in cultic clothes with ceremonial “attributes”, such as bird and animal masks, horned helmets and a line bending downwards. This line is seen as a sword, often depicted with a scabbard, and sometimes a grip on the handle.

Axes

The rock carvings show various types of axe. Partly, we see the so-called clay-core axes, which were made of clay with just a small layer of casted bronze. This type is found in bogs and lakes where they were probably left as an offering. They belong to the late Bronze Age, approx. 900 B.C. Their special form makes them easy to recognize among the rock carvings, at sites such as Fossum. Consequently, the human figures holding such an axe can be assigned the same dating. Clay core axes were extremely fragile and could not be used as a weapon. But we also see other types of axes, including stone axes. However, it is often difficult to make a type identification of these axes. It is believed stone axes were sacred and used by “priests” during ceremonial activities.